Handling gripper with several holding widths



Sept. 29, 1964 c. J. P. LEBRE 3,150,395

HANDLING GRIPPER WITH SEVERAL HOLDING WIDTHS Filed Dec. 8. 1961 FNVENTOR CHARLES JEANPIERRELFBRE 5 BY M VJZVZ:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,15%,895 HANBLKNG GRHFER WE'IH SEVERAL HGLDENG WllDTl-lh (Tharles lean Pierre Lebre, Salute-Genevieve-desfols,

France, assignor to ociete dEtude et de Construction dAppaiils do Lavage et de Traction (SECALT S.A.),

a company of Luxembourg Filed Dec. 8, 1% Ser. No. 158,666 Cla-ims priority, application France Jan. '7, will 3 Claims (Ci. 294-l6) The present invention relates to a gripper with several holding widths between the jaws, the clamping action or which being produced by the relatively pivotal movement about a pin results automatically from the displacement with res ect to the said jaws of an operating member which is actuated either mechanically or by hand. flhe gripper is intended for the purpose of handling various objects of all materials, such as plates, round-section bars, metallic cables, etc. For the purpose of manual handling, the operating member has the shape of a handle parallel to the pin about which the said jaws are adapted to pivot,

The main object of the invention is to produce a tool having a compact shape, of simple manufacture and of both practical, effective and reliable operation, and especially which prevents accidents above all 1n the case of manual handling operations.

To this end, the principle of the invention consists in effecting, as a result of action produced on the operating member, a relatively short movement of travel of the jaws so that the clamping force is multiplied with respect to the short applied to the operating member and in nevertheless ensuring variable holding widths by permitting one of the jaws to take up different positions with respect to its jar -holder which is actuated by means of the operating member. Thus by immobilizing the said adjustable jaw in diiferent positions on its jaw-holder, it is possible to modify the distance between the jaws for a same position of the operating member.

In order to permit of rapid and convenient use, there has been provided a spring which tends to open the gripper and ensures the automatic disengagement of the gripper when the direction of the action applied to the operating member is reversed. It is thus possible as a result of alternate action on the operating member to pull a workpiece by producing action in one direction, then to bring the gripper back along the workpiece by producing action in the opposite direction, thereby providing a means of carrying out on the workpiece such as a cable or a tube a succession of pulling movements in such manner as to cause the said workpiece to move forward.

In view of the results intended to be obtained and which are briefly explained below, the gripper in accordance with the present invention is essentially characterized in that it comprises two jaw-holders which are pivotally coupled to each other about a fulcrum pin and one of which is provided with a jaw adapted to be immobilized in different positions, one of the said jaw-holders comprising a guide-rail in the vicinity of the fulcrum pin or axis of coupling of the jaw-holders, while the other jaw-holder is extended beyond the said fulcrum pin a tail-piece pivotally coupled to an actuating lever which is fitted at one end thereof with an operating member and at the other end thereof with a rotating roller which is intended to roll along the guide-rail for the purpose of controlling the relative movement of the jaw-holders.

Further characteristic features of the present invention will be brought out by the description which follows below and which relates to examples of execution of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gripper in accordance with the invention;

*lG. 2 is a corresponding cross-section through a plane at right-angles to the axis of coupling of the jaw-holders, taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial detail view similar to FIG. 2 and showing a further mode of execution of the adjustable jaw; and

FIG. 4 is a partial detail View showing an alternative form with respect to the shape of one of the jaws.

There have been indicated at 1 and 2 the jaws of the gripper, and at 3 and 4 the jaw-holders which are pivotally coupled to each other about the fulcrum pin 5. In the example which has been illustrated the jaw 1, hereinafter referred to as the fixed jaw, forms one piece with the jaw-holder 3, whereas the jaw 2, hereinafter referred to as the adjustable jaw, is rigidly fixed to two parallel checks 6 by means of which the said adjustable jaw is pivotally coupled to the jaw-holder 4 about the jaw-pin 7 which is parallel to the fulcrum pin 5 and at right-angles to the cheeks 6. In order to permit of its pivotal movement about the fulcrum pin 5, the jaw holder 3 has the shape of a stirrup, that is to say, comprising a U-shaped portion, the flanges 8 of which provide a passage for the fulcrum pin 5, while the bottom thereof serves as a roller guide-rail 9 for the operating roller. In the interior of the said stirrup is fitted the tail-piece iii of the jaw-holder 4, that is to say the extension of the said jaw-holder beyond the pivotal axis thereof at the end opposite to the adjustable jaw 2. The said tail-piece 10 is pivotally coupled by means of a pin 11 parallel to the fulcrum 5 to the actuating lever 12, while that end of the said actuating lever which is most distant from the tail-pin 11 is fitted with the operating member 13 which, in the example illustrated, is in the form of a handle, while at the other end thereof, there is rotatably mounted about a pin 14 a roller 15 which is designed to roll on the guide-rail 9. About the fulcrum pin 5 is coiled a spring 16, the ends of which are respectively integral with the two jaw-holders, and which is mounted in such manner as to have a tendency to open out the jaws.

In the example which has been illustrated, the clamping portions of the jaws 1, 2. are wider than the stirrup of the jaw-holder 3 and project from this latter on each side thereof and in the direction of the fulcrum pin 5. As a result, it is possible to grip between the jaws a workpiece 17 which extends in a direction at right-angles to the fulcrum pin 5 and laterally with respect to the stirrup of the jaw-holder 3.

The mode of operation will now be explained, it being assumed that the adjustable jaw 2 is immobilized on its jaw-holder 4 and a description will then be given with reference to two means of immobilization of the said jaw which can be adjusted in different positions.

farting from the releasing position of FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamping action is produced by actuating the handle 13 in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 2 when the jaw 1 bears against the workpiece 17 to be clamped. Action produced on the handle 13 causes the actuating lever 12 to pivot about the tail-pin 11 on the tail-piece lit and at the same time causes the roller 15 to roll along the guiderail 9 towards the fulcrum pin 5 while the tail-pin 11 moves away from the guide-rail 9, in such manner that the jaw-holder 4 pivots about the fulcrum pin 5 on the jaw-holder 3 in the direction of closure of the jaws 1-2. It will be observed that the displacement of the jaw-holder 4 is more rapid at the beginning of the action whereas the means of a peripheral curved portion 23.

final clamping action takes place with a small movement of travel of the jaw and consequently with an application of greater clamping force. It is sufiicient for this purpose to ensure that the guide-rail 9 is suitably disposed with respect to the fulcrum pin 5 and that the lengths of the ditierent lever-arms are suitably chosen. In practice, the guide-rail 9 can be approximately flat, the plane thereof passing in the vicinity of the fulcrum pin 5; there is obtained an eificient gripper which is assembled together within a very small total space.

There is formed in each of the cheeks 6 an arched recess 18 which is centered on the jaw-pin 7 and the said recess is provided with notches 1% on the side opposite to the jaw-pin 7. The said notches 1% of the two checks 6 face opposite to each other for the purpose of fitting therein a locking-pin 2d which is parallel to the fulcrum 5 and which passes through openings 21 formed in the sides 22 of the jaw-holder 3' which are joined together by The openings 21 are elongated in the direction of the jaw-pin 7 so as to permit the locking-pin 2%} to be freed from the notches 19 by being brought into the arched recesses 18, by means of which the jaw 2 can then be made to swivel on the paw-holder 3 about the jaw-pin 7. The locking-pin 2% is thrust back towards the notches by means of a compression spring 24 mounted between the said locking-pin and the peripheral portion 23 of the jaw-holder 4-. In order to permit the releasing or unclamping action to take place, a catch 25 which is attached at one end thereof to the locking-pin 21 passes through a slot 26 formed in the peripheral portion 23 of the jawholder 4, while the edge 27 of the said slot, which is the most distant edge from the jaw-pin 7, forms a bearing ridge designed to permit the pivotal movement of the catch when the outer end of this latter is actuated in the appropriate direction. It will be understood that the result of this action action is to displace the locking-pin towards the arched recesses 18 by freeing the said locking-pin from the notches so as to release the adjustable jaw 2 and thus permit this latter to effect a pivotal movement whereby the said adjustable jaw will be brought into a different position in which it can be locked as a result of the penetration of the locking-pin 20 into other notches 19. It will of course be understood that the clamping surface of the jaw 2 is oflF-center with respect to the jaw-pin 7, with the result that the pivotal movement explained in the foregoing is such as to cause the opening of the jaws to be modified for a same position of the actuating lever 12 with respect to the jaw-holders 3-4.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative form for the immovable fixation of the adjustable jaw which is indicated at 28 and which is intended to slide over a straight portion 29 of the corresponding jaw-holder which is pivotally coupled to the other jaw-holder about the fulcrum pin 5 as in FIG. 1. In one of the faces of the portion 29, there are formed notches 30. The nose 31 of a pawl 32 is adapted to become locked in the said notches while the said pawl 32 is capable of pivoting in the interior of the jaw 23 about a pin 33 and is restored to the locking position by means of a spring 34. The said spring 34 is coiled about the Li. pin 33 and the two ends of the spring are applied respectively against the jaw 28 and against the pawl 32. The said pawl 32 is provided with an operating tail-portion 35 which projects outside thejaw 2 3 so as to permit the pawl 32 to be actuated in the direction of the arrow against the action of its spring 34 for the purpose or unlocking. The notches 3@ can be formed at an oblique angle in the direction which has been illustrated in the drawings in order to permit the displacement of the movable jaw 28 towards the other jaw as a result of automatic unlocking atcion, the nose 31 of the pawl 32 coming into abutment against the notches 3 3 only in the direction of opening of the jaws.

FIG. 4 shows a form of fixed jaw 36 which is designed especially for the purpose of gripping cables of different diameters. To this end, the gripping face of the said jaw is provided laterally with two V-shaped grooves which have been indicated at 37, while the positions of gripping of two cables having diqerent diameters have been indicated at 38 and 39.

I claim:

1. A portable gripping tool comprising a pair of jaw holders, a fulcrum pin extending through said jaw holders pivotally connecting the same, a guide-rail provided in one of said jaw-holders, a tail-piece extending from the other jaw-holder beyond said fulcrum pin, an actuating lever, a tail pin extending through said actuating lever and said tail-piece parallel to said fulcrum pin pivotally connecting said actuating lever and tail-piece, a roller rotatably carried by said actuating lever for rolling on said guide-rail, said other jaw holder having a pair of sides provided with openings, a jaw having a pair of cheeks each positioned alongside one of said other jaw holder sides and having an arched recess with notches therealong, a jaw-pin extending through siad other jaw holder sides and said cheeks pivotally connecting the same, a locking pin extending through said other jaw holder side openings and said check recesses, releasable resilient means tending to hold said locking pin in one of said check recess notches and a second jaw fixedly connected to said one of said jaw-holders and positioned opposite said first mentioned jaw.

2. A portable gripping tool as claimed in claim 1 including resilient means tending to retain said jaw holders pivoted away from one another.

v3. A portable gripping tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first jaw has an arcuate cross-sectional configuration, said second jaW has a V-shaped end portions and both jaws are elongated laterally of said jaw holders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 151,909 Peck June 9, 1874 758,960 Degelleke May 3, 1904 1,221,042 Frankell Apr. 3, 1917 3,041,101 7 Lebre June 26, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,238,706 France July 11, 1960 

1. A PORTABLE GRIPPING TOOL COMPRISING A PAIR OF JAW HOLDERS, A FULCRUM PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID JAW HOLDERS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE SAME, A GUIDE-RAIL PROVIDE IN ONE OF SAID JAW-HOLDERS, A TAIL-PIECE EXTENDING FROM THE OTHER JAW-HOLDER BEYOND SAID FULCRUM PIN, AN ACTUATING LEVER, A TAIL PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ACTUATING LEVER AND SAID TAIL-PIECE PARALLEL TO SAID FULCRUM PIN PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID ACTUATING LEVER AND TAIL-PIECE, A ROLLER ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID ACTUATING LEVER FOR ROLLING ON SAID GUIDE-RAIL, SAID OTHER JAW HOLDER HAVING A PAIR OF SIDES PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS, A JAW HAVING A PAIR OF CHEEKS EACH POSITIONED ALONGSIDE ONE OF SAID OTHER JAW HOLDER SIDES AND HAVING AN ARCHED RECESS WITH NOTCHES THEREALONG, A JAW-PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OTHER JAW HOLDER SIDES AND SAID CHEEKS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE SAME, A LOCKING PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OTHER JAW HOLDER SIDE OPENINGS AND SAID CHEEK RECESSES, RELEASABLE RESILIENT MEANS TENDING TO HOLD SAID LOCKING PIN IN ONE OF SAID CHEEK RECESS NOTCHES AND A SECOND JAW FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID ONE OF SAID JAW-HOLDERS AND POSITIONED OPPOSITE SAID FIRST MENTIONED JAW. 